Sunday, January 16, 2005

MI5 asset in Gitmo?

Sorry about that, old chap.

The Independent is reporting today that in his testimony before a US military tribunal, Bisher al-Rawi claims that he acted as a "go-between" for MI-5 and Abu Qatada, "the militant Islamic cleric alleged to be al-Qa'ida's "spiritual leader" in Europe." Al-Rawi was seized (kidnapped?) by US intelligence agents in 2002 while on a business trip to Gambia, on the strength of his relationship with Qatada.

Al-Rawi has named three MI5 agents - "Alex", "Matthew" and "Martin" - and asked that they be called as defence witnesses. The tribunal agreed, but "the British Government refused to allow them to give evidence."

This is not surprising. When intelligence assets becomes liabilities, they're cut lose and the doors shut. Embarrass their client agency and they'll find they have a short shelf life, if not a short lifespan. Disposibility is one of their chief attributes.

The Independent closes with this:

His claims follow allegations, by Islamist militants as well as French security sources, that Abu Qatada had contacts with British intelligence, which the Palestinian strongly denies. His legal advisers are adamant that he was only questioned as part of routine attempts by MI5 to gather intelligence about Islamist groups in the UK.If Al-Rawi is to be believed, then once again the oft-repeated implausibility that al Qaeda resists intelligence penetration is shown to be a joke at the expense of the indefatigably gullible.